Apulia · Foggia
San Severo
The Daunia wine capital on the Tavoliere, home to Puglia's first DOC of 1968 and a Carnevale of fanoia explosions known across the south.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 53 min from Bari
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 49,328
Known for
FIRST PUGLIA DOC
San Severo DOC, approved 19 April 1968, the first protected wine designation in Puglia, across 2,000 hectares of the upper Daunia.
CARNEVALE
Annual carnival with rolling fanoia firework explosions and floats, one of the loudest in southern Italy, an unbroken tradition for a century.
DAUNIA CAPITAL
Capital of the upper Daunia, founded in the eleventh century by Benedictine monks from Montecassino, rebuilt in Baroque after the 1627 earthquake.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J13°
- F15°
- M16°
- A20°
- M25°
- J31°
- J34°
- A33°
- S28°
- O24°
- N18°
- D14°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Maria S.S. del Soccorso (with San Severino abate and San Severo vescovo as co-patrons), third Sunday of May
Why come
San Severo sits on the Tavoliere delle Puglie, north of Foggia and inland from the Gargano. The town was founded in the eleventh century around a small church built by Benedictine monks from Montecassino, and grew through the medieval period into the capital of the upper Daunia. The 1627 earthquake almost levelled it, killing eight hundred inhabitants and pulling reconstruction into the late seventeenth century after a plague epidemic in 1656 added three thousand more deaths.
The Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, originally late-medieval, was rebuilt in Baroque after the quake. San Severo is best known nationally for its wine: the San Severo DOC, approved on 19 April 1968 by presidential decree, was the first protected designation in Puglia, with 2,000 hectares of red, white, rosé and the occasional spumante across San Severo, Torremaggiore, San Paolo di Civitate, Apricena, Lucera and Lesina. The annual Carnevale, with its rolling fanoia firework blasts, is one of the loudest in southern Italy.
The Sunday letter
San Severo is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when San Severo comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
San Severo in our articles
The best towns with a serious restaurant that eat well within 90 minutes of Foggia6 towns, San Severo among them.
The best hill towns you can reach by train within 90 minutes of Foggia7 towns, San Severo among them.
The best olive oil towns that eat well within 90 minutes of Foggia7 towns, San Severo among them.
The best towns that eat well in the province of Foggia7 towns, San Severo among them.
How to get there
From Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 1h 50m by car.
Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 3 hours away.
By car from the centre of Bari 2 hours, Pescara 2 hours or Salerno 2h 51m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Bari?
Coming by train into Foggia? San Severo is about 31 minutes away by road.
What to see
Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
Late-medieval cathedral rebuilt in Baroque style after the 1627 earthquake, the principal religious monument of the Daunia.
Chiesa di San Severino Abate
Baroque basilica dedicated to the patron saint, built over the eleventh-century Benedictine foundation that gave the town its name.
Palazzi Baroque
Eighteenth-century noble palazzi built in the post-earthquake reconstruction, lining the streets of the centro storico.
Cantine San Severo DOC
Wineries across the 2,000-hectare DOC zone, Puglia's first protected designation of 1968, producing Bombino Bianco and Montepulciano-based reds.
Carnevale di San Severo
Annual carnival with rolling fanoia firework blasts and floats, one of the loudest in the south, drawing crowds from across Daunia.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where San Severo fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
La Fossa del GranoRistorante
La Fossa del Grano carries a Slow Food snail, plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Festa di San Roccopatron saint's feast
usually held in August. La Terra di Puglia - Eventi in Puglia (guida mensile)
Living here
- Population 49,328
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Bari / Brindisi, 1 h 50 min drive
- Regional capital Bari, 1 h 53 min drive
Common questions
- What is San Severo known for?
- San Severo is the Daunia wine capital on the Tavoliere, home to Puglia's first DOC of 1968 and a Carnevale of fanoia explosions known across the south.
- Where is San Severo?
- San Severo is a comune in the province of Foggia, in Apulia, at 86 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to San Severo?
- Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 1h 50m by car.
- Can you get to San Severo without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Bari to San Severo?
- About 2 hours by car.
- When is the best time to visit San Severo?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 34 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in San Severo?
- Yes. Festa di San Rocco. August is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like San Severo?
- Galatina, Copertino and Galatone.
- How many people live in San Severo?
- 49,328 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 86 m
- Population: 49,328
- Surface area: 336.31 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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